


In Purrsuit of HapPUNess

by Runadaemon



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Adrien has regrets, Adrien plays matchmaker, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Awesome Nino Lahiffe, Awkward Nino Lahiffe, Confused Alya Césaire, Eventual Adrienette - Freeform, F/M, Hot Mess Adrien Agreste, Hurt Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Jealous Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Needs a Hug, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Nino Lahiffe Ships It, Oblivious Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Originally Ninette, Protective Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:00:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22767397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runadaemon/pseuds/Runadaemon
Summary: Adrien just wanted to be a supportive best friend. AKA the one where Adrien succeeded at getting Nino and Marinette together, to his immediate regret.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Alya Césaire, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug/Nino Lahiffe
Comments: 80
Kudos: 382





	1. Breaking Marinette's heart

**Author's Note:**

> This is already complete, and it's all hizashii's fault. She mentioned this idea on the discord and it wormed its way onto my production line quite quickly. Thanks to jmalka for betareading for me. I hope everyone enjoys!

In the Purrrsuit of Happuness

“Alright Nino,” Adrien’s voice startled Nino out of his daydream of a romantic boat ride with the beautiful and adorable Miss Dupain-Cheng. Nino grabbed his headphones before they could fall off completely, pretending to be relaxed as he saw Marinette giggling in the doorway. “I’ve got everything you need to know to plan a great first date with her!”

“Wait, what?” Nino was confused. Adrien had been oddly excited to ‘help him’ with his crush, but Nino had just thought he’d be moral support when he went up to talk to her. As Adrien thumbed through multiple pages of notes on Marinette’s likes, dislikes, habits, preferred pets? Was Nino reading that right? “Dude, what’d you DO?”

Adrien blinked up at Nino innocently. “Asked her to tell me everything?” Nino gaped at Adrien wordlessly. Adrien blinked slowly before explaining further. “I’ve spent weeks compiling this information. Then I spent the whole lunch hour asking her everything I could think of, in order to help you plan out the best way to woo her. I did say I’d help, after all?”

Nino gave a wordless shriek of combined fury and gratitude. He lurched forward and wrapped Adrien in a hug. His bro was so awesome! Mildly scary, but awesome! “You got all those notes from interviewing her?” Nino asked. Nino briefly read over the page Adrien was on. Some of the notes were hard to understand, but what he did have looked incredibly thorough.

“Oh, well, some of it, yeah. But I also asked her friends between classes. They were happy to tell me all about Marinette.” Adrien hummed thoughtfully. “A little odd, actually. After I asked, each girl started giggling and bouncing. They were super excited to tell me all about her.” Adrien’s bright green eyes caught on Nino’s amber ones with a glint of confused amusement.

“She’s an amazing girl, Nino. You’ve got great taste. You ready for the full report?” Nino gulped. Something about the way Adrien described the girls’ willingness to talk sent a warning signal through his mind, but he ignored it. With a grin, Nino squeezed Adrien tightly before letting go.

“Fill me in, bro!”

“Right! So her favorite color is pink, she actually isn’t that fond of sweets herself, but enjoys making them for others, and her ideal date would be doing a fun activity one on one!” Adrien started gushing. Nino blinked at the enthusiasm. “She’s actually rather cautious of water, so maybe avoid that unless you’ve told her about it in advance. Something about her clumsiness and damaging clothes.” Adrien hummed and checked his notes.

Nino frowned down at the notes, seeing potential date plans written out, along with gift ideas for the first date, the first week of dating, the first month, all the way through to the fifth anniversary of dating. “Bro, you look like you’ve planned everything out, like, a lot more than I expected.” Nino briefly read the plan for a proposal, alarm rising before Adrien covered the paper with his hand, and released an embarrassed cough.

“Sorry, playing ‘What if’ with Marinette ended up being really fun, and we got a little carried away.” Adrien looked down, flushing slightly. “But it was a great chance to actually hear what she thinks! Normally she’s really quiet and stutters when she talks to me, but during lunch we really got along! She actually tells some pretty funny jokes!” Adrien laughed in remembrance. 

“You guys played ‘What if’ together? Just the two of you?” Nino asked cautiously. He glanced at Marinette who was across the classroom gushing with Rose and Juleka while Alya frantically typed on her phone nearby. Marinette glanced over and gave a happy wave. Nino mindless waved back with a goofy grin, accidentally hitting Adrien who was also waving back. Marinette giggled and turned back, the three girls quietly squealing together.

“Well yeah,” Adrien answered after a moment. “She’s my friend, after all.” Nino felt like there was something going on behind the scenes, but ignored it. “So her ideal first date would be a picnic in the park, followed by a romantic stroll along the stream a few blocks over. You should make sure to bring her favorite flowers, which are pink roses, and make the picnic as romantic as possible. If you can take her by a pet store for window shopping, she adores hamsters. Getting ice cream at Andre’s before being walked home would be icing on the cake.” Adrien read off of the sheet. He looked up at Nino’s shocked expression.

“What?” Adrien asked. Nino silently shook his head, fiddling with his hat. He glanced over at Marinette again, to see her discreetly smiling into her hands while looking at Adrien. With a dawning suspicion, Nino took a deep breath.

“Hey, bro.” Nino caught Adrien’s attention. Adrien happily smiled back, waiting. “Did you mention exactly who would be going on this first date with her?”

Adrien blinked at Nino in confusion. “Well, I didn’t want to betray your trust, so I just asked her ‘What would your ideal first date be?’ and didn’t say who the partner would be. Why? Would that change the date?” Adrien frowned down at his notes. “Oh no. It might change her answers! Crap. I’ll ask her out to lunch tomorrow and specify you, okay? Sorry bro, I don’t know what I was thinking.” Nino winced. Something told him Marinette wasn’t going to handle that conversation well.

“Actually dude, I think you might not want to wait until tomorrow. And maybe don’t ask her to lunch?” Nino tentatively suggested. He didn’t like the idea of Adrien and Marinette cozying up in a private couples’ booth talking about dates and marriage. Adrien blinked at him with an oddly unhappy expression.

“But we’re friends. Friends eat together, right?” Adrien sounded shockingly disappointed at not being able to go to lunch with Marinette tomorrow. Nino felt another odd twist in his gut but he couldn’t figure out why it kept happening. “Oh, I get it bro.” Adrien nodded wisely. “You wanna be able to move quick! Smart choice! She’s surprisingly popular.”

“Surprisingly?” Nino echoed in disbelief. “What’s surprising about it? She’s beautiful, kind, sweet, thoughtful, giving… she’s everything a guy could ever want in a girlfriend! There’s nothing surprising about her being popular, dude!” Nino’s exasperated voice echoed in the silence. Adrien’s dismayed expression made goosebumps pop out on his skin. “She’s right behind me, isn’t she?” Nino quietly asked.

Adrien winced before nodding. Nino closed his eyes and prayed for a quick death. At Marinette’s quiet but obviously embarrassed “Ummm?” Nino swung around with a blatantly fake smile. He concentrated on her eyebrows. He was sure he’d read somewhere that it fooled people into thinking you were looking into their eyes.

“Hi Marinette! Did you need something?” Nino asked. Marinette’s flushed face stared up at Nino, and he felt the shock of having her full attention focused on him. He wasn’t sure she’d ever looked at him that way before. Marinette opened her mouth and shut it, staring wordlessly up at Nino with a surprised and oddly happy expression.

“I, uh. I can’t remember.” Marinette quietly admitted after an awkward minute of staring deeply into Nino’s eyes. Nino blinked down at the adorable girl he was desperate to confess to. Marinette flushed and looked at the ground. “Nevermind.” Marinette squeaked as she went to leave.

Adrien jolted forward. “Marinette, wait. Can I talk to you after school?” Adrien asked. Nino battled with himself, trying not to physically shake some sense into his friend. Adrien seemed to have an entirely misleading way of bringing things up. Marinette glanced at Adrien with wide eyes.

“Yeb. Ses. I mean, yes!” Marinette fumbled to answer. Nino grimaced in sympathy, smiling supportively when Marinette glanced at him. He would hate to stumble over his words like that, but he could see himself doing it. For example, if he were alone with Marinette and feeling pressured to talk before he was ready, he’d definitely stumble over his words. Nino watched Marinette walk robotically to her desk, falling into it and leaning in to chat with Alya conspiratorially.

“Don’t worry, bro! I’ll fix the misunderstanding after school, and you’ll be set to ask her out tomorrow!” Adrien whispered supportively as they moved to their own seats. Somehow, Nino didn’t think the conversation was going to go as smoothly as Adrien thought. Nino smiled at Adrien, appreciating the support, even if it ultimately wouldn’t help.

“Thanks bro.” Nino said under his breath. Adrien smiled brilliantly, obviously excited. Nino turned to the board, his ears tuned to the music of Marinette’s sweet whispers.

*****************************************************************

“Marinette! Thanks for waiting for me! Is there somewhere quiet we could talk for a bit? I’m still not familiar with the school yet.” Adrien smiled as charmingly as he could, eager to get Marinette talking again. Adrien had found over the last two weeks of scoping out Marinette that there was something almost entrancing about her thoughts and opinions. He couldn’t wait to hear what she had to say about his best friend. They’d be a great couple, and they’d all hang out together all the time! Adrien couldn’t wait!

Marinette flushed and stumbled over her words before grimacing and pointing out a quiet bench to the side of the school. She hung her head as she led him over, but Adrien simply grinned at her bashful behavior. Marinette really was incredibly cute. Nino had excellent taste. Hopefully Marinette would become one of his best friends too. Adrien and Marinette took seats opposite each other and stared silently for a minute.

“What’d you tackle bout?” Marinette made a funny face, and Adrien tilted his head, silently rewording her sentence to make sense.

“Oh! I wanted to talk about your perfect first date!” Adrien saw Marinette’s face light up, and he smiled back as happily as he could. He was so glad she was excited about dating, and hopefully she’d be just as excited about it being Nino. “So I know I just asked about your perfect first date, but I wanted to know if that date would change depending on who took you out?” Adrien smiled innocently, trying to word it so Marinette would get an idea, but not realize he was talking about Nino specifically.

Marinette blinked at him for a moment before smiling fondly. “I mean, I described the perfect first date I would want to have with a certain boy, that’s true.” Marinette coyly looked at him through her lashes. Adrien brightened. So Marinette had gotten the hint! It sounded like Marinette might be interested in Nino too! “I’m not sure what a first date with someone else might look like, as I’ve had my eye on someone for the last month or two.” Marinette admitted shyly. She glanced up at Adrien before looking down again.

Adrien wiggled. He’d never played matchmaker before, but he was doing so great! Nino was gonna be stoked when Marinette practically fell into his arms at his confession! Adrien smiled brightly. “Okay, so if, say, Nino,” Adrien wiggled his eyebrows meaningfully, before continuing, looking down to take notes and missing the confusion spreading across Marinette’s face. “Asked you out, would the romantic picnic, stroll, pet store, ice cream still be your ideal first date then?”

Marinette didn’t respond. Adrien glanced up to see Marinette studying him with an almost betrayed expression. Marinette licked her lips, and shakily replied. “If… Nino asked me out?” Adrien nodded eagerly, wanting to assure her that Nino liked her too, but still unwilling to out his friend so explicitly. Marinette looked down with a difficult to read expression. “Were all the ‘What if’s about… Nino?” Marinette quietly asked.

Adrien nodded, somewhat confused by Marinette’s hesitant answers. “Well yeah, of course.” Adrien answered, eager to get her feedback on some of the finer details of what she liked. He really wanted to know her opinion on rosebuds versus fully bloomed roses, for example. He personally preferred the rosebuds, they looked promising and lasted longer, but the fully blooming roses were certainly a little more beautiful.

Suddenly Marinette stood up. “I’m sor-sorry.” Marinette murmured. “I forgot. Babysitting. Sorry.” Marinette turned and hurried away. Adrien stood up, Marinette’s name on his lips, before realizing if she was already late, he didn’t want to slow her down even more. He could always ask her more at lunch tomorrow. Nino would understand that Adrien needed to get the most detailed information possible so he’d be the best boyfriend for Marinette in the world.

Humming, Adrien put away his notebook and prepared for fencing practice. He couldn’t wait to see how Nino asked Marinette out tomorrow. Maybe he’d even record it for their wedding. He couldn’t wait to be their best man.


	2. Oh no

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette takes a well deserved break. Nino and Marinette talk. Alya and Adrien talk. Adrien has regrets.

Adrien spent the free time he and Nino had before class that Friday assuring Nino that Marinette knew Adrien had been talking about Nino all along. Adrien found himself excitedly watching the door, waiting for Marinette to come in and brighten the classroom with her smile. He knew she was prone to being late, but he couldn’t help waiting for her. Nino looked a little sick, but Adrien knew his best bud would pull through and woo Marinette the way she deserved.

Adrien didn’t truly begin to worry until second period began without any sign of the sweetest, most loveable girl in the school showing. Adrien glanced back at Alya, hoping to discreetly ask her where Marinette was, only to be startled by her irritated glare.

Adrien hadn’t spoken to Alya yet besides a quick greeting on his way to Nino. At her glare, Adrien immediately turned back to the front, intimidated. He wasn’t sure why Alya was upset, but he was pretty sure that meant he should leave her alone. Adrien’s father had said to never get in the way of a woman when she was angry. If it scared his father, he wasn’t going to risk it.

Adrien glanced at Nino who looked rather depressed as he doodled on his notes with a small frown. Adrien slowly placed a cautious hand on Nino’s shoulder, trying to avoid the teacher’s attention, and gave him a supportive squeeze. Nino glanced over with a sad smile, silently nodding his thanks. Adrien smiled back, willing as much support and positive energy as he could into the expression. Nino’s smile brightened a bit more, and he turned back to the teacher looking happier.

Adrien let his hand slip off of Nino’s shoulder, and frowned down at his phone. He wished he’d gotten Marinette’s phone number. He really wanted to make sure she was okay. She might have caught a stomach bug, or maybe she’d gotten sick? Adrien didn’t normally get sick, but he’d heard it could happen suddenly, and being around children increased the risk of getting sick often. Marinette had said she was babysitting yesterday. Maybe she’d caught something then.

When lunch period rolled around without any sign of Marinette, Adrien rather indiscreetly pulled Nino towards the door. “Why don’t we go visit her? Maybe she’s sick! You can show you’re good boyfriend material by bringing her lunch and taking care of her.” Adrien started to push Nino out of the door, only to find it blocked by a determined Alya.

“Not today.” Alya stated firmly. Adrien looked like a kicked puppy, and Nino just looked worried. Alya held firm. “Let her have the weekend. You’ll see her on Monday, okay boys?”

“But!” Adrien protested. “Today is-” Alya cut him off.

“Not a good day to visit Marinette, Adrien.” Alya stared at Adrien, and he quailed under her intense stare. “I’ll take care of her. We’ll both see you on Monday, okay?” Adrien pouted, unwilling to promise he wouldn’t seek out his friend. Nino silently nodded his acceptance, and Adrien felt betrayed. “Okay, Adrien?” Alya repeated pointedly.

With a sullen pout, Adrien nodded his head. “Class isn’t the same without her.” He muttered. “Will you tell her that?” Alya smiled at him despite herself, while Nino nodded in agreement. Alya spun on her heel, calling back over her shoulder.

“I’ll let her know you two miss her.”

***************************************************************

Nino endured call after call from Adrien over the weekend, worrying about Marinette’s health. Eventually, Nino came to realize that Adrien may be more excited about Nino’s confession than Nino was. It was understandable, he reasoned. Adrien was new to public school and everything that came with friends. Of course he would get unnaturally invested in his best friend’s love life.

Realizing why his friend was so invested didn’t make it any easier to bear though. Adrien seemed to be very fixated on making sure Nino became Marinette’s boyfriend, and treated her ‘like the princess she was’. Nino was almost concerned about how much Adrien cared. By Monday, Nino wanted to confess more to get Adrien to stop trying to rehearse it with him than to get his feelings acknowledged by Marinette.

Nino wasn’t sure exactly why he had to keep playing Marinette’s role while Adrien played Nino’s, but it was giving him a complex. Adrien was apparently a very smooth talker when he wanted to be, and when he was ‘confessing to Marinette’ boy did Nino’s bro want to be as smooth as cream. Nino had gotten several nice lines from it though, so he shouldn’t complain too much.

When Marinette and Nino met eyes that morning, they both blushed and looked away. Adrien practically started jumping in place, too excited to hide his anticipation. Nino covered his eyes with his hat, and was pushed forward by Adrien’s excited nudges. “So uh, Marinette, could I, uh talk to you at lunch? May ate together?”

Nino covered his face with a hand in embarrassment. He hadn’t expected to mess up his words that badly. Adrien cleared his throat, ready to be the perfect wingman and ask Marinette to lunch for Nino, but Marinette’s quiet reply left both boys blinking at her in surprise.

“Sure. I’ll have lunch with you, Nino.” Marinette smiled softly at Nino. “Is my place okay, or did you want to eat somewhere else?” Nino gaped at her for a moment before attempting to reply.

“Your parents are fine! I mean! You place is parents! You! Yes! Your place!” Nino grimaced, but the small giggle Marinette released made him look up and smile back at her. Adrien looked between the two of them excitedly, bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet. His ship was sailing!

“Great. I’ll see you for lunch then.” Marinette waved at the boys and headed inside. Adrien squealed and jumped on Nino’s back, pounding his shoulders excitedly.

“You’ve got a chance! You’ve got a chance!” Adrien chanted. Nino laughed, giddy with relief that Marinette hadn’t turned him down cold. Now if his luck could hold through lunch, he might actually get a cute girlfriend.

***********************************************************

“Thanks lunch for inviting!” Nino groaned and let his head fall forward. Marinette gave another soft giggle, and set a bowl of soup in front of him.

“No problem, Nino. We’ve known each other for a long time. I wonder why we’ve never really hung out together before.” Marinette smiled as she sat. Nino blushed, glanced up at her and then robotically began eating. He didn’t want to admit he’d been intimidated by Chloe and by Marinette’s cuteness for years now.

“Sorry, Marinette.” Nino quietly offered. Marinette paused mid bite to smile at him, puzzled.

“What for?” She asked. Nino sighed, glanced up and then looked off to the side.

“Never standing up for you before.” Nino studiously kept his gaze directed at the soup. He could hear Marinette shifting in her seat. He twirled his spoon in the bowl, aimlessly making waves as he waited for her judgment.

“It’s not like we were really good friends before. Chloe is intimidating, so I can understand.” Marinette offered. Nino glanced up to see an open smile on her face. “But thank you Nino. I accept your apology.” Nino flushed, newly impressed with Marinette’s confidence, her forgiveness, her overall positivity. He wasn’t sure what he’d been thinking. A girl like this wasn’t likely to accept his feelings. She could do so much better.

“So,” Marinette cleared her throat. “Adrien mentioned something last week that I thought we might want to talk about. He kind of implied that you might…” Marinette trailed off, tactfully letting Nino finish the idea. Nino glanced at Marinette’s compassionate expression and took a deep breath.

“I really like you Marinette. Will you be my griflend?” For a moment, Nino thought he’d actually managed to ask her out properly. Then he replayed his words, and immediately wanted to die. Before he could attempt to drown himself in his soup, Marinette gently took his hand.

“Nino, I have to be honest here.” Marinette took a moment to brace herself. “I’ve been in love with Adrien ever since he gave me his umbrella at the beginning of school.” Nino felt himself deflate. Yeah, Adrien was much prettier than Nino. More social too. It would make sense that Marinette would prefer Adrien.

“But,” Marinette bit her lip as she continued, and Nino looked up. “He’s made it clear he’s not interested in me the way you are.” Nino thought back to all the confessions he’d listened to over the weekend. He wasn’t as sure of that as Marinette apparently was. Nino looked down to his hand still wrapped in hers.

Marinette took a breath deep enough Nino heard it. “I’ve never really seen you in that way, but,” Nino wondered what to call this feeling. It felt like his heart was being raised with hope and simultaneously crushed with despair. “I’m open to trying it if you are. I’ve just gotten my heart broken, but I really appreciated what you said about me last week. It’s been one of the few things that’s helped. Would you be okay with dating me despite this?”

As Marinette tilted her head to the side in a silent question, Nino felt a blush burst across his face with so much heat he thought his face might melt. Marinette was just too cute. Silently, Nino played with Marinette’s fingers as he considered the situation. Once he felt he had a good grasp of it, he double-checked.

“So you’re in love with my best bro.” Marinette shrugged and nodded apologetically. “But he broke your heart, and you’re willing to give me a try as long as I don’t mind that I wasn’t your first choice?” Marinette made a face.

“Well, not exactly. I’m willing to give you a try because you said something amazingly sweet last week, and it’s been echoing in my mind ever since. It’s not about being first choice, but I don’t know how long it’ll be before my heart really moves on from Adrien. I like you too, Nino. I’m just not sure if I can like you romantically. I thought if we dated, we might figure that out together.”

Nino nodded, relieved she wasn’t trying to use him as a rebound so much as give him a genuine chance to sway her emotions. Nino found himself nodding back at her. “In that case, yes. I’m totally okay with that. Dating is all about figuring out if you love someone, after all.”

Nino smiled at Marinette, and she smiled back. This wasn’t the fervent love confession either had really daydreamed about, but it felt much more real to have someone looking at them saying ‘I don’t know, but with you, I’m willing to try.’

Over lunch, they discussed what they felt a relationship meant. And when they headed back to school, they shyly held hands.

***********************************************************

Adrien returned from lunch early, excited to find out if Nino succeeded in wooing her. He really hoped Nino had told Marinette ‘You’re the most beautiful princess in Paris, the light of my eye. You’re my one and only, so please be forever mine.’ It was Adrien’s favorite line from all of their practice over the weekend.

Adrien obsessively checked his phone, but a text from Nino never came. He wasn’t sure if that was good news or bad. As he settled into his seat with a frown, Alya slid into Nino’s spot and smirked at Adrien.

“So, Sunshine. Why are you working so hard to set Nino up with Marinette?” Alya asked casually. Adrien flushed a bit. He hadn’t realized he’d been so obvious. Adrien checked his phone again, before replying as simply as he could.

“Well, Nino likes her.” Adrien nodded to himself. That was perfect: simple, concise and to the point. Surely Alya would see his point and jump on board with him.

“Yeah, and?” Alya’s reply left Adrien off-kilter. Alya maintained an easy smirk, nothing showing on her face but a deceptively casual interest.

“What do you mean?” Adrien was lost. In all the books and shows, when one person liked another, they told them. If they did it right, the other person accepted and they dated. Then, if they grew to love each other, they would marry, and then hopefully one of them didn’t tragically die ‘before their time’. Alya rolled her eyes.

“So does everyone else in the class, he’s not special.” Adrien stared. He was certain words had come from her mouth, but somehow he couldn’t understand her. Everyone liked Marinette? As in everyone wanted to date Marinette? Adrien felt a strange burning sensation in his stomach.

“Everyone?” Adrien discreetly clutched his belly. His lunch must have given him heartburn, because he felt the heat traveling upwards, but it was a very bizarre heartburn. Alya hummed in agreement, an almost evil twinkle in her eye.

“Everyone.” She confirmed. As though summoned by the conversation, Nino and Marinette walked into the classroom holding hands. As the rest of the class rushed to congratulate them, Adrien sat frozen. The strange twisting in his gut was back, but now it was also burning, and he felt a completely irrational urge to rip Nino away from his Princess.

Alya wordlessly glanced at him once more before getting up to congratulate the new couple. Adrien stared at their joined hands, murmuring to himself. “Everyone? But I don’t…” Adrien’s eyes widened in realization. He glanced at Marinette’s blushing, happy face. Then at Nino’s hand wrapped around hers and felt the heat in his belly jump. Oh.

Oh no.


	3. Breaking Adrien's Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette in a relationship is adorable, Adrien finds. Then he finds out Ladybug has a boyfriend.

Adrien felt like he was in a strange alternate universe. Every morning, Marinette ran to greet him and Nino with a smile. Adrien got a sweet smile and a quiet “Good morning Adrien.” He was thrilled that she came to say hello every morning. However, Nino got the sweetest, most heart-clenching bisous to his cheek. Both cheeks. Which Nino then returned to Marinette, and Adrien had to bite his tongue.

Adrien would give great bisous. It had made many a fan faint with happiness in the past. Why didn’t they want his bisous? Then Marinette and Nino would link hands, and the three would chatter about what they did the night before. Marinette was always talking about a new design or a new bakery item her family was experimenting with.

Adrien’s mouth watered at just the idea of some of the desserts. Nino sometimes laughed and gave an opinion, as though he had tried it. And Adrien just quietly burned. He had suspicions that Nino had indeed been at Marinette’s house more often than he realized, trying her delicious desserts, and spending time with Marinette in private.

After the first couple of days of them dating, Alya suggested Adrien move into Marinette’s seat, so the couple could sit together. Adrien gave his best friend a questioning look, and Nino shyly shrugged. Adrien swallowed hard, convincing himself it wouldn’t matter, they were still best buds, and made the move. Adrien had never realized what a good seat Marinette had.

Adrien could watch Marinette all day long. When they switched, she’d been flushed and red, and kept glancing nervously between him and Nino, obviously concerned. But when class began, Marinette easily refocused herself, and took very neat notes. Adrien also noticed she double layered her notebooks and made notes on the bottom book in short, frantic bursts. She was really just so cute. Adrien had to sigh, and carefully didn’t look at his desk mate.

Alya had been making comments and friendly jabs ever since they changed seats. She’d ask if Adrien wanted to go to lunch with them, and of course Adrien wanted to. He was just limited in his availability. Also, maybe the heartburn tended to get much worse whenever he joined them, so he made a couple of excuses. This never stopped Alya from smirking at him, and later asking about what he’d heard.

“Adrien, did you hear what your BFF did? My BFF made cookies yesterday and brought them to lunch.” Adrien blinked and smacked the jealous Adrien that was already ranting ‘I love cookies! How dare they!’ off of his shoulder. Jealous Adrien silently huffed and started climbing back up. He knew he’d be needed after seeing the smirk on Alya’s face.

Alya laughed softly, gazing at Nino and Marinette with a tender gaze. “Nino was so happy Marinette made cookies just for him. He cried, Adrien. Aren’t they just the most adorable couple?” Adrien didn’t notice the wistful tone, already silently nodding in agreement with Jealous Adrien. ‘I’d cry for cookies too! I’m adorable too, Alya! Where are MY Marinette-made cookies?!’ Nino chose that moment to glance back at Adrien, waving happily with a discreet hand.

Adrien smiled awkwardly and waved back. He subtly reached up to his shoulder and patted Jealous Adrien’s crying head. Lately he always felt just a little bit like crying. Marinette hardly talked to him nowadays. She didn’t talk to him at all if Nino wasn’t also there. He’d thought they would be better friends if she dated his best friend.

He was learning that’s not how it worked, and oh did the learning hurt. Marinette still smiled at him, but she didn’t bungle her words adorably anymore. Marinette said hi and asked about him, but it felt perfunctory, not like she was genuinely interested. Marinette was always talking with Nino, and Adrien absolutely combusted the day they began exchanging notes in class. Watching the two huddle close together on the bench and write all over each other’s notebooks giggling had sent Adrien to the bathroom.

Plagg had silently eaten his cheese, and listened while Adrien ranted. “The indecency! They’re over there giggling and passing notes like lovesick fools, Plagg! I can’t believe they’ve lost their heads like this! It’s ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!” Adrien paused. Somehow he was reminded of Chloe in that moment. He shrugged it off.

“I worked so hard to get them together! I wanted to spend time with the three of us! Why aren’t they passing notes to me?! What did I do wrong, Plagg?” Adrien looked to Plagg, who was sitting on the edge of the sink with his elbows on his knees watching his holder. Plagg blinked his big green eyes and jumped up.

“I don’t know kid. I’m not human, but maybe you should have paid more attention to who Marinette would be dating in your head? Are you sure you wanted her holding Nino’s hand?” Adrien pulled his hair for a moment and rolled his eyes.

“Obviously I wanted her holding BOTH of our hands! She’d be my best friend, and so would Nino! Gosh, Plagg, that’s obvious!” Plagg gave a thoughtful hum, and Adrien glared at him.

“I’m pretty sure in a one-on-one relationship, humans look at holding multiple people’s hands badly, don’t they?” Plagg casually mentioned. Adrien stared. That wasn’t right, was it? Adrien turned blank eyes to the window, thinking hard.

“Oh. Oh no. You’re right Plagg.” Adrien muttered. “If I want her to hold both of our hands, they’d have to break up.” Plagg flew up in alarm. Adrien glanced at him and waved him off. “Oh, don’t worry. I won’t try to break them up. Hawkmoth might get to them, and I couldn’t even imagine fighting one of them, let alone both.”

Adrien leaned against the wall and banged his head gently a few times. “I messed up, Plagg.” Adrien sighed. “Well, I actually did exactly what my best friend wanted, but I didn’t realize how much it would affect me. I think I like Marinette, Plagg.” Adrien cautious admitted. When he chanced a glance at Plagg, the absolutely Done look on Plagg’s face sent him into standing properly.

“Adrien, you’re teenager. You’re still learning about feelings and relationships. Now you know you like her. Are you going to do something about it?” Plagg asked. Adrien smiled sadly back.

“I am. I’m going to cheer them on. They’re both happy like this, and I still have Ladybug.” Plagg made a strange face before silently diving back into his hiding spot. Adrien blinked before looking at the time. He’d been in here for nearly 15 minutes! Adrien rushed back to class.

Back in class, Adrien noticed an almost full page of notes between Nino and Marinette in the seat in front of him. Adrien immediately desperately wanted to know what they’d said, and he sat there silently burning. When Alya gently nudged her notebook at him, Adrien stared at her for a minute, absolutely befuddled. Alya pointedly looked down at her notebook brushing his elbow and back up, raising her eyebrows meaningfully.

Adrien glanced down at the notebook. Alya had written him a note. ‘Are you alright? You were gone a while.’ Adrien smiled back at Alya thankfully. She really was a good friend, even if half their conversations fully revolved around their respective best friends. Adrien felt just a smidgeon of guilt for trying to steal her place as Marinette’s best friend.

Adrien smiled at Alya and wrote a short message on her paper. ‘I’m good thanks. Just needed to get something out.’ His smile lasted until Alya wrote back. ‘OMG, TMI model boy!’ Adrien flushed and started stammering out loud that it wasn’t what he meant. He sent Alya into peals of laughter, got scolded by the teacher and made a spectacle in class. Life sucked.

************************************************************

“Dude, what was that about in class?” Nino asked Adrien. To Nino’s surprise, Adrien immediately flushed and started shaking his head, while Alya threw her head back and cackled in delight. Marinette was looking as bewildered as Nino felt, and they shared a shrug. Alya leaned forward and looped an arm over Adrien’s shoulder.

“Just an inside joke, you two. Don’t worry about it.” Alya flashed a pretty grin at Nino and Marinette. Nino blinked, a little taken aback at how the light flattered Alya for a moment before he turned to Marinette. Adrien’s face was beginning to calm down, but he obviously didn’t want to talk about it.

“So babe, did you know where you wanted to go for lunch today?” Nino didn’t notice Alya and Adrien both stiffen at the endearment. Marinette flushed but smiled at him, amused. Nino’s own grin grew, knowing she was thinking about their talk over video games last night about what a ‘babe’ Marinette’s avatar was.

“Look, you Neanderthal, I told you I’m not that picky.” Marinette huffed a laugh, Nino snickering at her jab. He did choose the most beefed up avatar in the game, so her assessment was fair. Nino blinked at a choking sound, turning to see Alya and Adrien staring at them like they’d begun speaking in tongues.

“What?” He asked their friends. Both silently shook their heads with wide eyes. Nino blinked back for a moment before shrugging it off. Dating made things weird sometimes, he’d heard. Turning back to Marinette he shrugged back at her for a moment before wrapping a careful arm over her shoulders. “Mare, you are the pickiest person I’ve ever met. And I know Adrien.” Marinette stiffened for a moment before leaning against him with a smile.

A choking sound from behind almost made them turn around before they heard a disgruntled “Hey!” from Adrien. Marinette and Nino burst into laughter. Marinette leaned her head against Nino’s arm, looking back to speak to Adrien. “Sorry, Adrien. It just means you and I have the best taste of anyone here!” She shot him a wink and chortled, turning back to Nino.

“OOF!” Nino and Marinette jumped apart, glancing behind themselves. Somehow Alya and Adrien had fallen over. As they stared in surprise, Alya turned on her side on the sidewalk, and actually started pushing at a groaning Adrien. Marinette and Nino rushed to help their friends up.

“Damnit Adrien! You didn’t need to literally fall over just because-!” Alya cut herself off as Nino wrapped his hands around her arms to help her sit up. Marinette reached over and offered her hands to Adrien, who stared up at her in a daze as he reached for them. As soon as Adrien grasped her hands, Marinette pulled him to his feet. Nino tried to help dust off Alya, but she backed away with a flush.

Marinette quickly let go of Adrien once he was standing, walking over to help Alya. Nino frowned as Adrien just stood still, hands still reaching for Marinette’s and gaze locked on the girls. “You good, bro?” Nino asked. Adrien’s gaze slowly wandered until he looked back at Nino. He blinked a few times before startling.

“Oh! Yeah! Sorry! That was my fault.” Adrien admitted. He immediately glanced back over at the girls. “Sorry Alya, I didn’t mean to knock you over.” Alya gave Adrien a disgruntled glare, and Adrien winced. Nino wasn’t sure what was going on between the two, but Alya seemed rather pissed. He was happy it wasn’t him in her bad books.

“Alya, why don’t you pick where we eat?” Marinette suggested. “After all, you’ve just suffered the most.” Marinette let a sly smile peek through her fingers. Alya frowned at Marinette, settling her fists on her hips for a moment before reluctantly smiling back at the amusement shining in Marinette’s eyes.

“Alright girl.” Alya smiled back mischievously. “I hope everyone likes Indian food!”

Everyone loved the Indian food. Until the class after lunch, at least.

*********************************************************************

Adrien noticed through the hazy pain in his stomach that Marinette was slumped over her chair, while Nino was rubbing her back. He easily ignored Jealous Adrien on his shoulder shouting ‘I can rub her back! I’m the best back rubber ever!’ Marinette really seemed to be in pain. Just as Adrien raised his hand to ask for the bathroom, akuma alerts went off on everyone’s phone.

“Oh you have GOT to be kidding me.” Adrien didn’t attempt to explain why he was running out of class, even as he noticed Marinette running to the bathroom as well. With a sympathetic wince, he ran into a stall, determined to get the akuma taken care of as soon as possible. When he transformed, he immediately jumped on top of the stall, then out the window.

Ladybug still beat him to the akuma, but she seemed to be in a bad mood. “Well hello, MiLady. How are you this fine day?” Chat Noir called out. It was the first time they’d met since Adrien had successfully matched Nino and Marinette. He’d missed her, but not as much as he’d expected to. Ladybug gave him a disgruntled look.

“Chat Noir! Hi! I had something at lunch that didn’t agree with me. Can we hurry?” She asked. Ladybug was already studying the akuma, completely business-like. Chat Noir stood up straight, shocked by the similar situation.

“Me too! Ladybug, we have SO MUCH in common!” He gushed. The akuma and Ladybug both paused to give him an incredulous look. “Ah, right. Akuma! Let’s go!” Chat Noir rushed forward, eager to impress his lady.

“Chat Noir! I didn’t mean…” Ladybug trailed off and joined him. The sooner they beat the akuma, the sooner they could find a good restroom. After they defeated the akuma and purified the butterfly, Chat took an extra minute to chat with Ladybug as they fist bumped.

“So, MiLady, wanna meet this cool Chat for some ice cream later?” Chat Noir smiled hopefully at Ladybug who was already shifting foot to foot, holding her stomach. She glanced at him and he preened, waiting for her agreement.

“Oh, sorry kitty. I really can’t. I already have plans to get ice cream with my boyfriend today. Rain check?” Chat Noir froze. He wasn’t sure he’d heard her right. “Sorry, Chat, I really have to go. My stomach is killing me!” Ladybug began spinning her yo-yo. “Ladybug out!” Chat Noir watched her swing away, still frozen.

Chat Noir silently made his way back to the stall he’d come from in a daze, the bathroom thankfully empty. As he transformed back, and sat for a bathroom session, he blankly stared at Plagg.

“Ladybug got a boyfriend, Plagg. I really didn’t have a chance with her.” Plagg grimaced and patted Adrien’s head for a minute before retreating.

“I’m sorry, kid.”

“Yeah,” Adrien murmured, head falling forward. “Me too.”


	4. Adrien is a little judgey.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien is a bit critical of Nino's boyfriend skills. Nino is a bit critical of this relationship. Marinette is just trying to stay afloat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not as angsty as the summary sounds, I promise! Please tell me what you think, it's entering the final round now. Thanks, and I'm sorry I ran late with posting it!

The next day at school, when Marinette greeted Adrien, she paused. “Are you okay, Adrien?” Marinette tilted her head, and Adrien could see she was concerned. “You look like you’ve heard some bad news.”

Adrien smiled, oddly happy to have Marinette notice he was upset. “It’s nothing. I just got turned down yesterday when I asked out the girl I like.” Adrien closed his eyes and confessed. “She’s dating someone else, so I really have to move on now.” Marinette patted his arm sympathetically.

“I kind of know what you mean,” Marinette gave him a sad smile. Nino wrapped an arm around Adrien in silent support. Adrien glanced between them, finally feeling included but he was still crushed at Ladybug’s new relationship status. Adrien leaned into Nino’s broad shoulder, and felt Marinette pat him on the back. This was much more comforting than he’d ever expected.

“I’m sorry, bro.” Nino murmured into Adrien’s ear. Adrien closed his eyes and let a few tears leak out. “It’ll be okay. We’re here for you.” Marinette joined the hug, and Adrien felt a warmth he couldn’t recall feeling since he was a toddler. He felt so loved and encompassed by their warm acceptance, he just wanted to stay like this forever.

“What’s going on?” Alya’s voice was like a shock of cold water. Adrien immediately straightened up, wiping his eyes and smiling plastically at her. Marinette patted his back for a moment before going to stand next to Nino, who both looked at him with concerned expressions.

“Good morning Alya.” All three chorused. Marinette and Nino exchanged glances, then looked to Adrien to decide how the conversation would continue.

Adrien grimaced at them. Turning back to a frowning Alya, his smile became a little more genuine. “You’re never allowed to pick the lunch spot again.” He teased. Alya snorted at him, and Adrien heard Marinette giggle. Feeling emboldened he continued. “My stomach still hasn’t fully recovered.”

“You’re just not used to the spices yet! You have to have it regularly!” Alya protested. Marinette and Adrien groaned in unison, while Nino snickered.

“Next time you’re craving Indian, you and me can go by ourselves, Alya,” Nino offered. “These two have delicate sensibilities,” Nino teased, leering down at Marinette playfully, who smacked his chest with a laugh. Nino mock-cried, clutching where she’d hit him. “Betrayed! By my own girlfriend!” Marinette laughed at him again.

“You’re such a big baby.” Marinette dragged his hands away from his chest, smiling. “I didn’t hit you that hard.” She drawled as she rubbed his chest lightly ‘to take away the sting’. Adrien felt his heart shredding again, seeing how close the two were. Likewise, Alya was watching the couple with an inscrutable gaze.

The foursome wandered off to class, still bantering about light topics. At lunch, they ate outside, Marinette having packed a large picnic the day before. It was then that Adrien and Alya learned that Nino and Marinette had gone for ice cream after school yesterday.

Adrien swallowed a gasp, and immediately squashed Jealous Adrien before he could start ranting. Thinking of the soulmate ice cream Marinette had once confided being interested in, Adrien felt his heart clench with something dark and painful. He truly didn’t like the idea of Nino and Marinette being soulmates, but he would never say that out loud. He wouldn’t even let Jealous Adrien, a figment of his imagination say it.

The couple were still together, and possibly even closer than they were the day before. Their couple’s ice cream must have been complimentary. They seemed to be bantering and laughing a lot more. Adrien sighed, and met eyes with an equally disheartened Alya. They smiled at each other guiltily.

As the weeks passed, Adrien grew used to hearing about Nino and Marinette’s dates. Marinette helped Nino with his plans for a mixtape, and Nino proudly lent it to Adrien. Adrien soulfully listened to the music on repeat, wishing she’d made a mix tape of romantic music thinking of him. He almost didn’t want to give it back, just thinking of how Marinette had helped create it.

When Nino admitted Marinette had started helping him with his newest movie script, Adrien was torn between wanting nothing to do with the script and wanting to take the script all for himself. Ultimately he did neither, simply smiling woodenly when Nino offered him a part in the movie and agreeing as long as it fit his schedule.

The saving grace was that Nino and Marinette were not a couple that were prone to PDA. If they were kissing or groping, Adrien thankfully didn’t know anything about it. Neither Nino nor Marinette ever mentioned kissing, and besides the daily bisous, Adrien didn’t have to see their mouths touching each other.

Adrien was constantly fluctuating between jealousy of Nino, and a growing obsession with wanting to be the focus of Marinette’s soft eyes and sweet smiles. Every time he found himself dreamily sighing over the girl in front of him, he shifted guiltily, thinking of his best friend. He shouldn’t be mooning over his best friend’s girlfriend, but he couldn’t seem to help it. Not even the thought of Ladybug was helping, now that he knew he didn’t have a chance.

It really didn’t help that Nino didn’t seem to be treating Marinette as romantically as Adrien had expected. Nino didn’t bring her flowers every day, or even every week. In fact, Adrien was scandalized to realize that Nino hadn’t brought Marinette flowers during their entire relationship. At Adrien’s insistence, Nino finally bought Marinette flowers for their one month anniversary.

Adrien was appalled. The flowers were yellow roses! Jealous Adrien devolved into a whole rant on how ‘Marinette deserves red roses! Pink at the very least, Nino, do you not KNOW what yellow means?!’ The flowers weren’t even freshly picked. They had obviously been picked a while ago, they were already beginning to droop! Marinette wouldn’t be able to enjoy them for the longest amount of time possible, and Adrien was utterly horrorstruck at Nino’s lack of romance.

To Adrien’s surprise, Marinette smiled quite happily at the roses, and thanked Nino without complaining at all. ‘You deserve better flowers!’ Adrien wanted to protest. The yellow roses didn’t seem to bother Marinette though, and she happily handed over her gift with a cheek kiss that made Adrien want to punch Nino for receiving it.

Adrien desperately tried not to cry in pure envy. Marinette had taken the time out of her busy schedule to make authentic Moroccan baklava, and Nino wasn’t falling all over himself in gratitude! In fact, Nino ate a bite and then CRITICIZED it! Adrien could not believe it. Nino was a terrible boyfriend; 2/10 Adrien would not recommend. He got one point for being a great best friend, and one for being willing to take directions, but that was it!

Thankfully Marinette was an absolute angel that took the criticism well. She actually took notes on what Nino said was wrong, and thanked him. Adrien wanted to smack Nino for his lack of sensitivity. Marinette gave him a gift, and he told her it wasn’t good enough. Adrien had never imagined Nino would be that type of person. The only reason Adrien didn’t call Nino out was because Marinette still looked pleased.

When Adrien and Alya were coerced into tagging along on one of their dates, Adrien desperately tried not to compliment Marinette’s attire too much. Nino just scratched his head and asked if it was a new dress. Adrien pulled him aside in frustration.

“Dude, I love you, but your girlfriend wore cute new clothes to your date. The least you can do is tell her: Marinette, you look beautiful, did you tailor it to fit yourself because it’s ridiculously flattering! Oh, and pink really brings out the blue in your eyes! Nino, you need to step up, Man.” Adrien stared seriously into Nino’s eyes, while Nino stared back utterly bewildered.

“Why don’t YOU tell her that?” Nino asked. Adrien gaped at him. A wordless screech escaped as he pointed at Nino, then Marinette.

“It wouldn’t bother you if I started complimenting her?! That’s your girlfriend, man! Other guys aren’t supposed to compliment her!” They both turned to look at Marinette, only to find a few strange boys leering at her and Alya. “Dude! You gotta defend your girl! Go man, go!” Adrien pushed Nino forward and went forward to help him.

Before the boys got to them, the boys that had been leering apologized to Marinette and Alya and walked away cowed. Adrien blinked. “That’s not how this works.” He whispered in frustration. Nino stared down at him in confusion. “That’s not how any of this is supposed to work!” Adrien ranted.

“Dude,” Nino scratched his neck. “Marinette’s a strong girl. She can take care of herself. You don’t have to worry about it.” Adrien made grabbing motions at Nino with his hands.

“But she shouldn’t have to!” Adrien responded, not realizing the girls were listening. “She’s a beautiful princess that deserves the world and you’re supposed to treat her like it! Otherwise, what’s the point of you dating?!”

Nino blinked, looked at Marinette, who looked back before they both shrugged. “Sorry?” Nino offered in confusion. Adrien groaned and went to the concession stand, buying popcorn and drinks for him and Alya.

Alya took the drink with thanks and blinked when Adrien refused payment. To Adrien’s irritation, Nino took Marinette’s money with a smile, and they both sat together sharing popcorn. Adrien spent more of the movie examining the two of them than he did watching the movie.

Thankfully for his blood pressure, they didn’t hold hands during that date. Adrien was a small step short of sitting Nino down for a lecture on what a proper boyfriend of Marinette’s should do. Adrien had way too many notes on exactly what that looked like already, he didn’t want to give Nino any idea of just how much time Adrien spent thinking about Marinette.

Adrien noticed that Nino was oddly quiet afterwards though, and he worried.

************************************************

“Marinette!” Nino called. His girlfriend turned to him with a smile, softly greeting him as she manned the register just before closing. “Can we talk?” They had just parted ways a few hours ago after the date, so Marinette looked obviously puzzled.

“Oh, I can wait until you’re done with closing and cleaning up.” Nino hurriedly offered. “I’ll help you, even.”

“Okay, thanks, Nino.” Marinette accepted. Nino noticed that Marinette didn’t blush or fidget like a girl in love. His heart rate was a little high, but that was mostly due to what he needed to talk about with her. As they chatted randomly during clean up, Nino became more and more convinced that he was doing the right thing.

Finally clean-up was done, and with cookies and admonishments to ‘be good’ from Sabine, they were alone in her room. Marinette took a bite of her cookie before setting it to the side, as she’d become prone to doing.

“So what’s up Nino?” Marinette looked at him with her big blue eyes and Nino fidgeted. He really wasn’t certain how to bring up his suspicions without hurting Marinette.

“Marinette, do you…” Nino paused before speaking in a rush. “Wanna kiss me?” Marinette blinked at him with her mouth hanging open before a red flush worked its way across her cheeks. Nino noticed the cookie she’d been eating was gone, just like all the other times she set one down. He wasn’t sure how she was eating them so fast, but it was kind of concerning.

“Uh, Nino, I know we’re dating, but,” Marinette glanced everywhere but at him. “I’m not sure I’m ready for that.” Nino nodded, having expected it.

“We’ve been dating for over a month now though. Shouldn’t we have started kissing by this point?” Nino gently asked. Marinette looked at him with alarmed eyes.

“There’s no set timeline to dating!” Marinette protested, guiltily looking away. “And I’ve been trying, but I’m still a little,” Marinette trailed off.

“In love with Adrien?” Nino offered, smiling kindly at her. Marinette gaped at him with wide eyes, aghast that he knew. “It’s okay. That’s why I wanted to talk to you.” Marinette bit her lip and tears filled her eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Nino! I swear I’ve been trying, and you’ve been so awesome and dates are always fun and I love spending time with you, I swear!” Marinette rushed to assure him. Nino nodded along, smiling at her without censure.

“I know, Mare.” Nino set his hand on her shoulder. “I know. I think that when I confessed, I really did like you, but I think I really like you as a good friend.” Marinette gaped at him, looking somewhere between insulted and relieved.

“What?” She weakly questioned.

“See,” Nino let go and leaned back, pondering his thoughts out loud. “I totally like you. You’re really cute, and kind, and deserve the very best, I totally agree with Adrien there. I just don’t think I’m the best for you.” Nino shrugged.

“What does that mean?” Marinette looked at him in confusion.

“It means, I haven’t even thought about kissing you since we started dating, Mare. Isn’t that strange? I don’t want to cuddle you all the time, and I don’t want to spend every last moment I’m awake talking to you either. Not because you’re not awesome or unimportant, but because,” Nino shrugged. “I don’t know, Mare. I don’t really feel like I’m your boyfriend. I think we’re friends more than anything else. Don’t you?”

Marinette bit her lip and looked down. With tears leaking down her cheeks, she nodded. “I think you’re right.” Marinette softly agreed. “There’s something missing, I can feel that too.”

Nino sighed and wiped her tears away. “Hey now, we’re still friends. Hopefully even best friends.” Nino waggled his eyebrows and Marinette laughed at him. She sniffled as she nodded her agreement. “As your best friend, I have to ask you.” Marinette smiled at him, prepared for a joke.

“Are you still in love with Adrien?” The smile fell off of her face, and a guilty expression settled in. “No, no! I’m not shaming you, not at all.” Nino hugged Marinette, who sighed and moved to sit next to him on the chaise. She buried her head in his shoulder.

“You give the most comforting hugs.” She begrudgingly admitted. Nino laughed.

“I’m asking because Adrien is the whole reason I think we’re better off as friends. He is super invested in making sure your boyfriend treats you well.” Nino hummed as Marinette stiffened, well aware that she was confused and pleased and upset all at once. “Apparently I’m not treating you with the reverence he’s dying to.”

“But he loves someone else! He confessed just a few weeks ago, right?!” Marinette shoved away from his chest, staring up at Nino. Nino rolled his eyes.

“It was probably puppy love if anything, because that boy has been whispering in my ear long before I asked you out. Always talking about how amazing you are, what you deserve, what your dates should look like.” Nino rolled his eyes. “He even lectured me on what I gave you for our one month anniversary, Mare. He’s obsessed.”

Marinette flushed and bit her lip, looking up at Nino beseechingly. “Really?”

Nino nodded. “I’m not making any promises, now. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to hurt me when I tell him we broke up.” Marinette blinked at him.

“We broke up?” She questioned.

Nino raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, that’s… kind of what we’re doing now, Mare. You didn’t realize?” Marinette blushed.

“Oh,” She softly answered. “Oh, you’re right. We are breaking up, aren’t we?” Marinette giggled self-consciously. Nino chuckled at his now ex-girlfriend.

“Mare, you’re adorable, and you really are a great girlfriend, I think we just don’t have that …extra thing, you need as a couple.” Marinette looked at him deadpan.

“Sexual attraction?” She offered in a toneless voice.

“Marinette!” Nino gasped, scandalized. “How dare you- actually, yes, you’re probably right.” He nodded and candidly switched directions. “Now Alya, on the other hand…” Nino trailed off, raising his eyebrow suggestively.

“Oh my god, did you just break up with me so you could get with my best friend?” Marinette yelled in mock outrage. Nino smirked at her.

“Aren’t you technically doing the same thing?” He asked innocently.

Marinette flushed and sputtered unintelligibly for a minute. “It’s not the same thing!” She protested.

“It kinda is.” Nino countered.

“Is not!”

“Is so!”

They went back and forth as long as they could before bursting into laughter.

“So, friends?” Nino offered. Marinette smiled happily at him.

“No.” Nino looked hurt for a moment before Marinette continued. “Best friends.” They smiled at each other, shaking hands.

“Now about your cute BFF….”


	5. One couple goes in, Two come out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes out, and someone gets ahead of themselves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoys this cute little ending. I'm pretty sure this one is done, though SOMEone mentioned a 'what happens when they have a reveal' and now it's percolating in my head. If I write it, I'll make it a different story and turn it to a series, so keep a look out. Thanks for reading!

After what Adrien would call a disastrous movie date, he wasn’t surprised when Marinette’s morning greeting was a little cold to Nino. She still ran up to them both with a smile, but there was only one bisou on Nino’s cheek and to Adrien’s shock, he got one too! It was the first bisou Marinette had offered him since dating Nino.

Adrien glanced over at Nino, expecting him to be angry, but Nino smiled as affably as ever. Adrien cautiously leaned forward to brush a heart-poundingly soft kiss to Marinette’s pink cheek, retreating as soon as he felt contact. His palms were damp with nervous sweat as he looked between the couple. Nino and Marinette obliviously continued their chat, but when Alya approached and gave Marinette a friendly bisou, Marinette giggled as she tugged Nino forward to give her one too.

Alya and Adrien shared a bewildered glance, and then very awkwardly exchanged bisous. They felt some odd pressure from their friends to be friendlier with each other. Marinette then tugged on Alya’s arm and led the way to class, chattering about how Nino’s latest mixtape was amazing, and did she want to listen?

Nino walked quietly beside Adrien, warm gaze on the girls chattering in front of them. Adrien studied Nino, particularly how his hand wasn’t interlocked with Marinette’s and what that might mean. Despite his best intentions, he wondered if they weren’t fighting after all. Maybe the bisous was the beginning of someone’s revenge plot, and in six months one of them would be missing or dead, like that drama he saw last week?

Adrien shook it off. Real life rarely had people going missing, his mother being an exception. Adrien frowned at the ground for a moment, reminded of just how much his life seemed to resemble a Disney movie. A missing, possibly dead parent, the other too wrapped up in things to pay attention, overly sheltered. Adrien sighed. He’d obviously been watching too many Dramas and Disney movies lately.

Adrien sadly glanced at Nino again. He really shouldn’t have been studying Dramas in hopes of finding a way to take his best friend’s girlfriend without losing his best friend. He didn’t even know if Marinette liked him. Well, obviously Marinette liked Nino right now, but Adrien really needed to know what she liked so much about Nino that Adrien didn’t have. Once he knew that, he could play up that quality and hopefully attract her.

“Marinette really is cute, isn’t she?” Nino casually asked. Adrien sighed, lovesick. Marinette’s smile as she talked to Alya was radiant. Her hair was so shiny and bouncy. Her eyelashes were so long.

“Yeah,” He thoughtlessly replied. After a moment, he straightened up in alarm. “I mean! She’s adorable but I know she’s your girlfriend, don’t worry! I mean, you know she’s adorable! You asked her out. Of course you did! Hahaha…” Adrien awkwardly trailed off as Nino snickered.

“Don’t worry about it dude. Mare is awfully cute, I know.” Nino gave Adrien an inscrutable look. Adrien looked back warily. Was Nino catching on to Adrien’s more than casual interest in Marinette? Nino smiled and wrapped an arm around Adrien. “I gotcha dude. Let’s get to class, yeah?” Adrien nodded nervously.

In class, Adrien was once again watching Nino and Marinette writing notes to each other. Marinette quietly snickered and elbowed Nino, causing Adrien to sigh. Marinette had never really elbowed him so casually. At least Marinette wasn’t napping on Nino’s shoulder or something too sweet. Adrien felt like his heart would break if they displayed affection more often in public. He already wasn’t sure he was a good friend for still wanting his best friend’s girlfriend.

Alya sighed and Adrien glanced at her discreetly. She was frowning down at Marinette and Nino. As Adrien watched, Alya studied Nino’s profile, and smiled before glancing at Marinette and wiping the smile off of her face before smiling awkwardly. Adrien glanced down to see Marinette had caught Alya looking at Nino. Adrien warily looked at Nino to see Nino writing on the shared notebook he and Marinette always refused to show them.

Marinette turned back to the notebook, and this time Nino glanced back at Adrien and Alya. Adrien smiled, and Nino winked at him. When Nino glanced at Alya, Adrien noticed a flush spreading across Alya’s face as she looked away guiltily. Adrien blinked at her. Perhaps they had even more in common than he’d realized.

Adrien quietly went back to studying the couple in front of them. There was something odd about the way they were acting, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. Adrien rested his head on his fist, sighing at the pretty blue-nette. If they ever broke up, Adrien dreamily thought, he wouldn’t let her get away again. Definitely no more setting her up with someone else.

Losing Ladybug had been like getting stabbed, but losing Marinette was like losing a limb. Remembering Ladybug hurt and throbbed occasionally, but Marinette was something he found himself constantly reaching for and hurting all over again when he realized she was gone. He’d never really had Ladybug, and while he always enjoyed his brief times with her, he didn’t have the laughing conversations about ‘what if’ he had with Marinette.

Adrien hadn’t picked Ladybug’s brain about her romantic dreams, imagining dating her and getting engaged to her, and then marriage and kids. Adrien hadn’t been planning it out together with Ladybug, not like he’d done with Marinette. Marinette had been someone who was clear and open in her thoughts and dreams, while Ladybug had done her best to keep him from asking about her, so his daydreams about Ladybug weren’t based on her as a person, just on the idea of her.

Adrien honestly hadn’t realized you could love more than one person at the same time in different ways. Now that both girls were out of his reach, he knew which one it hurt more to lose. Adrien briefly glared at Nino. He was almost convinced losing Marinette hurt more because she wasn’t being wooed to his satisfaction. He’d thought Nino would really treasure her the way Adrien would have, but he’d been wrong.

It felt like Adrien blinked and it was lunch time. Marinette and Nino turned to Alya and Adrien with smiles. “Are you both up to lunch at my place?” Marinette offered. Adrien almost wanted to turn her down, but he really didn’t have anything else he needed to do, and the idea of possibly getting some close friendly time with Marinette and Nino both was just too good to turn down.

Adrien glanced at Alya who nodded back at him subtly. “Sure!” they chorused. Adrien might regret it later, but he’d take what he could get for now. Heading to the bakery, Nino made an effort to walk with Alya, Marinette waving her forward with a smile when Alya looked at her in confusion. Marinette instead lagged behind, walking next to Adrien.

Marinette turned to Adrien for a minute. “Do you ever notice we’re basically the opposite of each other?” Adrien gaped. Marinette studied his face for a moment before her smile faltered a bit and she turned back to the road. “I just mean, like our hair and clothes and stuff.” She quietly added, looking at the ground.

“Uh, no, I just, I never thought about it.” Adrien scrambled to answer. He grimaced at himself. One of the first times in over a month that Marinette had started a conversation, and he just stared at her like a dummy. He’d hit himself if he didn’t think Marinette would get upset with him about it. “But yeah, I have dark pants, you have light. I have a black undershirt, you have a white one. Your blazer is black, mine is white. My hair is light, yours is dark. Yeah, I totally see it.” Adrien rambled.

Marinette looked at him and smiled sweetly. She even giggled at him. Feeling bolstered, Adrien continued. “You like the arts, I like sciences. You’re great at precision things, I’m great at broader things. You can cook, I can eat.” He laughed. When he looked around, he realized Alya and Nino were standing at the door to the bakery listening to Adrien’s nonsense.

Adrien flushed, but while Alya looked at him with a bit of censure, Nino just laughed with Marinette. Marinette took point, opening the door and calling out to her parents. She led them upstairs, and asked them to sit down, having Alya help her get out the lunch materials while the boys had a seat.

“You sure you don’t want my help, Mare?” Nino called out cheerfully. Marinette made a rude noise and Nino laughed heartily. He turned to Adrien. “Last time I tried to help her, I dropped a whole container of eggs, and had to go buy a new one because they didn’t have any more for personal use.”

Adrien smiled, imagining Marinette gently scolding Nino and walking to the store with him and shopping with him. Wow, now Adrien’s heart was hurting again. He wanted to be the one Marinette scolded and shopped with. Adrien turned back to see Marinette directing Alya to stir the dish on the stove before ladling it into bowls.

Marinette finished making a large salad for everyone to take what they wanted. Turning back to the room, Marinette asked loudly. “Is soup and salad okay, or does anyone want sandwiches too? I can also heat up a pasta dish.” Adrien hummed to himself. He didn’t get much opportunity to have pasta.

“I’ll take some pasta if you don’t mind.” Adrien called out.

“Soup and salad are good for me,” Alya decided.

“Mare, I know better than to tell you to make me a sandwich. Can I get some pasta too?” Nino asked. Marinette sputtered a laugh at Nino, while Adrien looked at him confused.

“Got it. Three servings of pasta, coming up!” Marinette turned back to the fridge.

“You’ve never seen the jokes online about guys that tell their girls to make them a sandwich?” Nino asked Adrien incredulously. Adrien blankly shook his head. “Dude, you gotta fix that. It’s like, number one way to piss off any girl. Never tell them to make you a sandwich.”

“But Marinette offered to make it,” Adrien protested, confused. “If she’s offering, what’s wrong with accepting?” Nino groaned.

“No, dude, I was joking.” Nino clapped a friendly hand on Adrien’s shoulder. “If she’s offering, of course you can accept. I was just joking around, okay?”

Adrien nodded. He still didn’t really get it, but he would trust the dude with a girlfriend. Alya set out bowls of soup on the table, while Adrien was handed silverware, and Nino prepared everyone’s drinks. Marinette set the salad and plates for salad down, before setting pasta down at three seats.

When Alya sat down, Marinette glanced at Nino before moving to sit across from Alya. Adrien went to take the seat next to Alya, but Nino beat him to it, leaving the spot next to Marinette open. Adrien took the seat as though expecting it to blow up at any moment.

For as long as the couple had dated, they always sat directly across from each other if they weren’t next to each other. Adrien and Alya exchanged utterly confused expressions before silently digging into their food. After several minutes of silence, Adrien couldn’t take it anymore.

“Did you two… have a fight?” He quietly ventured. Nino and Marinette looked at him with utter confusion, while Alya looked relieved that someone had finally said something. “It’s just… you haven’t held hands, and you didn’t kiss both cheeks, and you’re not sitting together now?” Adrien trailed off with a quiet high pitched tone.

Nino blinked at him for a moment while Marinette froze. Then Marinette groaned and Nino jumped from his chair, fist pumping in the air. “YES!”

Marinette groaned back “Noooo,” before turning a glare to Alya. “I trusted your reporter’s instinct! How dare you betray me!?” Alya and Adrien just blankly stared at the two. Marinette continued grumbling while Nino danced in place with some of the oldest, tackiest dance moves Adrien had ever seen.

“You oooowe me Mare!” Nino exulted. Marinette groaned and turned her face to the table again. Adrien gingerly patted her on the back until she turned her head to him. Marinette gave Adrien a brilliant and happy smile.

“It’s okay, Adrien. I don’t blame you. I blame Alya and Nino, as I should.” Marinette’s face morphed into a pout as she sat up and stared at Alya with betrayal. “How did you not ask first, Als? I expected you to jump all over it!”

Alya stared between Marinette and Nino utterly confused. “I don’t understand. What’s going on?” Marinette pouted and crossed her arms.

“Well maybe it’s too late for you to be asking the important questions, Alya. I can’t believe Adrien beat you to it.” Nino laughed again, before leaning forward to catch Alya’s eyes.

“We broke up, but we made a bet as to who would notice first.” Adrien felt lightheaded. Marinette was available again. Frantically he searched his mind. How long was it polite to wait before asking someone out when they’d just suffered a break up?

Nino continued, unaware of Adrien’s racing thoughts. “I bet Adrien would ask about the change first, and Marinette bet that you would, Alya.” Alya just silently gaped at Nino. Nino winked at her before turning to Marinette with a victorious grin.

“Now Marinette has to help me with my next DJ gig, unless an emergency crops up. And I don’t have to model clothes for her! Win-win, baby!” Nino dug into his food with gusto, completely satisfied with the way things had worked out.

“You broke up?” Alya questioned, staring hard at Marinette. “But why? And why are you two acting like you’re still dating?” Marinette and Nino blinked at her in confusion.

“But we’re not?” Marinette did that adorable head tilt that made Adrien want to coo and cuddle her. “We’re just really good friends now.” Alya stared, obviously unsatisfied with the reply.

Marinette shrugged uncomfortably. “We realized we don’t have a romantic spark.” She answered grudgingly. Nino hummed in agreement. “All our dates were basically friendly outings. Neither of us wanted to kiss each other, let alone do other couple-ly things together. We’re both more interested in someone else.”

Adrien watched with complete confusion as Alya and Marinette proceeded to have a silent facial conversation, complete with strange head twitches and squawks of disbelief. While Adrien was completely lost, he noticed Nino watching the conversation with a knowing smirk. Finally, Alya threw her hands up in the air.

“I don’t get it, but if you want to talk about anything, I’m here for you girl.” Alya sighed and finally went back to eating. Marinette and Nino shared a grin before everyone settled back in to finish their lunch.

Adrien spent the majority of lunch wondering who Marinette was more interested in, and if he could sway her in his direction before she went for this new guy. He’d need to talk to Nino and get his okay, but even if Nino said no, Adrien would definitely ask her out as soon as it was socially acceptable. He just wished he could remember what the dramas said the correct waiting period was.

As lunch was wrapping up, Alya brought up a new topic. “Do you two want to switch back to your old seats then?” Marinette glanced at Adrien, who shrugged, and Nino, who grimaced.

“I think I like where I am now, actually.” Marinette replied apologetically. “Maybe we can revisit the idea in a week or two?” She brightly continued. There was something sly about her smile, but Adrien nodded agreeably. He rather liked his view, all things considered.

“If you’re sure.” Alya agreed warily. It was good that Adrien wasn’t the only one confused at the twosome’s strange behavior. On the way back to school, Nino casually walked next to Adrien while the girls walked behind them, talking in hushed whispers.

At school, Adrien asked Nino if he could talk privately, finally deciding to just get it over with. Nino smiled at him and agreed, waving at the girls as they separated. “What’s up bro?”

“Can I ask Marinette out? I mean, I know you just broke up, so I don’t mean immediately, but how long should I wait until it’s okay? Is it okay with you? Are you heartbroken? I know you were laughing earlier, but are you really okay or are you just being strong? Nino? Why are you laughing? Nino!” Nino doubled over in laughter when Adrien started asking how long to wait, and had to lean against a wall when Adrien started pacing back and forth.

Holding up a hand, Nino fished out his phone, still snickering as he typed out and sent a text. Coughing slightly, Nino looked up at his best friend with a smile. Adrien was doing his best to not strangle his friend. “Sorry, you just won me another bet, and I am absolutely dying to collect on it.”

Adrien paled. If this bet was related to the one from earlier, Nino might have just told Marinette that Adrien was trying to ask her out and now she would hate him and never date him and wait. Nino was his best friend. He wouldn’t set Adrien up to be laughed at. Adrien glanced at the grin on Nino’s face. Well, at least not to get laughed at by anyone else. Probably.

“Phew, okay bro. Here’s what you do. You go up to Marinette the next time you see her, and you ask her to be your girlfriend. No hesitation, or you might lose your chance. Okay?” Nino stared at Adrien, who bit his lip in indecision. “Dude, I’m completely serious. You gotta ask her as soon as possible.”

Adrien nodded before staring suspiciously at Nino. “This isn’t another bet you’re trying to win, is it?” Nino blinked at him for a moment before shaking his head ‘no’ with a grin. “Are you sure? She’ll say yes?” Adrien stared hard at Nino. This seemed almost too easy.

“No trick, no bets, and no guarantees.” Adrien paled. So Marinette might turn him down? Nino looked at him discerningly. “If I’ve learned one thing over the last month, it’s that there’s no guarantees with love. Who you love today might not be who you love tomorrow. Go for it while you can, okay?” Adrien nodded.

Nino flashed another grin, looking behind him and smacking him on the shoulder as he passed. “Great, then now’s your chance!” Nino casually strolled off, wrapping a friendly arm around Alya’s shoulders and dragging her off with him. “So, Alya, are you free after school today? A little bird told me we might get along quite well.”

Adrien stared at the wall for a minute. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to turn around and get his heart crushed again. It was still dented from hearing about Ladybug’s boyfriend. “Adrien??” At the sweet siren sound of Marinette’s concerned voice, Adrien clenched his eyes closed and turned on his heel.

“Marinette,” Adrien opened his eyes as he said her name, taking in the dark, luscious hair that framed her petite heart-shaped face. Her kind, beautiful eyes urged him to continue and her lips were such a delicate pink, the kind he wished he could taste. They lifted into an enquiring smile, and Adrien decided to take the plunge.

“I know you’ve just broken up with Nino, but I can’t wait. I can’t stand the idea of you dating another guy without knowing you’ve stolen my heart.” Adrien wanted to continue, he wanted to serenade her with all the platitudes he’d been urging Nino to use, but in this moment, he couldn’t think of anything but his honest feelings. “Will you please stop tormenting me and be mine, Marinette?”

Marinette blinked at him and blushed prettily. As he continued his confession, she’d covered her mouth with her hands, and tears built up in her eyes. When Adrien asked her to be his, she nodded erratically, and a softly choked out “Yes” escaped her delicate lips as she opened her arms to hug him.

Adrien breathed out a sigh of relief. She’d said yes, and she was reaching for him. Him, not Nino! As though he were dreaming, he moved into her arms, and they shared a loving hug. As they leaned away slightly, Marinette looked at Adrien’s lips and bit her own. She glanced into Adrien’s eyes and he felt as though he were in a fever dream. Was Marinette inviting him to kiss her?

Marinette leaned up on her toes, and began to close her eyes as she pursed her lips slightly. She was going for a kiss! Jealous Adrien was cheering on his shoulder. ‘Kiss her! Close your eyes, idiot, don’t make it weird! Just kiss the girl!’ Adrien gulped and leaned close, closing his eyes once he was sure he wouldn’t miss.

The warmth of her closed mouth sent tingles down his spine. He was kissing Marinette, and he could die from the happiness. After a moment, he awkwardly realized their noses were pressed together rather uncomfortably. Adrien briefly wished for google. How do you kiss without bumping noses? As Adrien was thinking about how to fix it, Marinette moved back, breaking the kiss and giggling.

“Sorry, I haven’t really learned how to kiss,” Marinette shyly offered. Adrien flushed with pride and embarrassment. Her warm blue eyes looked so happy, and Adrien felt like the luckiest man in the world to have her attention focused solely on him.

“I uh, I don’t really know how either. We can learn together?” Adrien offered hesitantly. Marinette beamed up at him, and Adrien felt an arrow of love lodge right in his heart. Groaning, he leaned over her, hugging her tightly to his chest and making her squeak. His girlfriend was too cute! Wait.

“You are my girlfriend now, right?” Adrien pushed Marinette away to confirm. He’d asked her to be ‘his’ but that didn’t mean she was agreeing to be his girlfriend. He needed to know what she was agreeing to before he lost his mind.

Marinette shyly flushed and nodded, giggling a bit in embarrassment. Adrien pulled her back in for a tight hug, enjoying the soft squeak she emitted in surprise. His GIRLFRIEND was too CUTE! He needed to tell the world. Pulling out his phone, he loosened his hold on her.

“Selfie?” He asked shyly. Marinette covered her mouth with a hand, but nodded, and they both looked up at his phone. He took several shots before switching to just some personal up close shots of an embarrassed but happy Marinette. “My girlfriend is the cutest in the world.” He muttered to himself as he opened Insta. “Can I share?” He offered her a view of the photo he selected, and Marinette nodded back with wide eyes, obviously overwhelmed.

Unable to resist, he pulled her back into his arms, kissing her forehead with adoration before quickly captioning the photo with a simple and clear: “She said yes!” Tagging the photo with a few cute little tags, he posted it before putting his phone away and luxuriating in the warmth of the cutest, sweetest girl in the world.

When the warning bell for class rang, Adrien sighed sadly, and was cold as soon as Marinette left his arms. Marinette smiled back at him sadly, and clutched her hand around his arm. Feeling a bit of warmth from her hand and body pressed against his, they walked to class together.

OMAKE:

The couple was bombarded as soon as they walked in the door. Alya was at the forefront. “ARE YOU ENGAGED?!” She screamed. They stumbled to a stop, confused.

“What?” Marinette asked. Alya shoved her phone at Marinette, pointing to Adrien’s Insta photo. Adrien was fending off an angry Chloe, keeping one arm protectively wrapped around Marinette so Chloe didn’t claw her.

As Adrien glanced around, he saw Nino in Adrien’s most recent seat, literally crying from laughter. As he looked over Marinette’s shoulder at Alya’s phone, he kept one hand on Chloe’s shoulder as she reached for him ineffectively.

“She said yes!” Marinette read out loud. “Hashtag luckiest man in the world, hashtag yes baby, hashtag my girl, hashtag ring emoji.” There was brief silence as Adrien and Marinette silently rebooted their brains.

“Okay, in retrospect that does sound kind of like I proposed.” Adrien acknowledged. Marinette twisted to stare at him.

“‘Kind of’?!” Marinette repeated in disbelief. Nino broke into a fresh round of laughter, dropping his head to the desk and gasping for air. Adrien winced. Before Marinette could start yelling at him, he interrupted her.

“Please don’t break up with me, I swear I was just so happy you said yes that it’s all I could think about.” Adrien stared pleadingly into Marinette’s eyes, surprised when she immediately blushed and started fidgeting.

“How am I supposed to be upset with you when you’re so sweet and cute like that?” She grumbled. Alya discreetly lowered her phone, giving Adrien a thumbs up. Adrien felt a lack of pressure coming from Chloe, and looked at her.

Chloe looked incredibly grossed out, like he’d just eaten something off of the floor. “Oh, gross, Adrikins. I didn’t know you were icky like THAT when you were in love. She can have you!” Chloe stalked to her seat and flounced down. Adrien bit his lip, but still gave a sigh of relief.

Adrien gently cupped Marinette’s chin, lifting her head to look at him. “So you’re not mad at me?” He asked, giving her his best kitten eyes. Marinette’s face flushed scarlet, and she silently shook her head in time with the bell for class to start.

Everyone jumped and rushed for their seats. Adrien frowned at Nino who grinned back at him from the bench next to Alya, before smiling at Marinette’s hopeful expression as she offered him Nino’s old seat. Sitting next to her, he scooted as close as he dared, flushing.

He’d been so jealous of Nino getting to sit close to Marinette and pass notes. Now he finally got to try it. With a happy grin, he got out a notebook. His grades might suffer a bit, but he’d manage. Marinette would get as much wooing as he could offer her.

Starting with a love note.


End file.
